Material dispensing apparatus



Aug. 23, 1955 G. A. FRANK ET AL MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 50, 1952 M/VE/VTOPS G. A. FRANK 5);]. J. FRY

A T TOP/V5) Aug. 23, 1955 5. A. FRANK ET AL 2,715,991

MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 30, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-4/N 5 N TORS G. A. FRANK J. J. FRY

mmi-X A r Tom/Er United States Patent MATERIAL DISPENSING APPARATUSGerard A. Frank, Allentown, and John 3. Fry, Bethlehem,

Pa., assignors to Western Electric ompany, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application January 30, 1952, Serial No.268,992

1 Claim. (Cl. 226-96) This invention relates to material dispensingapparatus and more particularly to apparatus for depositing measuredamounts of radium in lamps.

In the manufacture of certain types of lamps, it is necessary that smallquantities of radium compounds be deposited in the lamp bulbs. Duringthe manufacture of this type of lamp, it was found that a conventionalhypodermic syringe could be used in dispensing a solution of the radiumor material in the lamp bulbs. However, the hypodermic syringe alone wasnot satisfactory in that the quantities of the solution dispensed couldnot be controlled with sufiicient accuracy.

An object of the invention is to provide a material dispensing apparatuswhich is simple in structure, automatic in operation, and highlyefiicient in dispensing measured quantities of material.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a materialdispensing apparatus including a container for the material having anoutlet at one end while the other end is open to receive a plungermovable in the container against the material. The plunger, normallyurged upwardly, engages an element which moves it downwardly likedistances intermittently to cause measured quantities of the material tobe forced through the outlet of the container.

More specifically, the apparatus includes a threaded shaft rotatable inone direction only and connected to the element to move the plunger. Thedriving means for the shaft includes a solenoid operated driving memberto rock a driven member between variable limits while a uni-directionalclutch assures rotary motion of the shaft in one direction, a similarclutch holding the threaded shaft against reverse movement.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the driving meansand the driving clutch;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the driving meansand the holding clutch; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the connectingelement for moving the plunger.

Referring now to the drawings, attention is first directed to Fig. 1which illustrates a base 11 supporting a turret 11 having holders 12 forarticles 14 such as lamp bulbs disposed at spaced positions about theturret to be moved successively into a receiving position. A mainsupport or column 16 extends vertically from the base with horizontalmembers 17 and 18 mounted thereon at spaced positions. The member 18 hasa groove 19 in one end thereof to removably support a container 20,which in the present embodiment of the invention, is the cylindricalportion of a hypodermic syringe with a hollow needle 21 at the outlet orlower end thereof. As illustrated in Fig. 1, suitable means may beassociated with the turret moving means whereby the article or lamp bulb14 at the receiving position may 2,715,991 Patented Aug. 23, 1955 beraised so that the outlet 21 will be positioned within the bulb orarticle prior to the dispensing of a measured amount of material fromthe container. A guide 22 carried by the member 18 is positioned toguide the article in its vertical movement to receive its measuredquantity of material. A latch 23, carried by the member 18, may be movedthrough the assistance of a handle 24 into and out of the position shownin Fig. 1, to removably secure the container to the member 18. A plunger26 extending into the open end of the container 20 is normally urgedupwardly by a spring 27 to engage the lower surface of an element 30.

The element 30 is supported by a bracket 31 including an aperturedportion 32 positioned to slide vertically on the column 16. The element30 has a reduced portion 33 with a threaded groove 34 therein, Fig. 4.An auxiliary portion 35 of the element 30 is hinged at 36 to the reducedportion 33 and provided with a threaded groove 37 to cooperate with thethreaded groove 34 in forming a threaded aperture. A threaded shaft 40extending from the member 17 through the member 18 and a bracket 41,mounted near the upper end of the column i6, is held against axialmovement by collars 42 adjacent the member 18 and a handwheel 43 mountedon the upper end thereof adjacent the bracket 41. When the auxiliaryportion 35 of the element 30 is in its closed position, shown in Figs. 1and 4, the threads of the grooves 34 and 37 inter-engage the threads ofthe shaft 40 which, in the present embodiment of the invention, are lefthand threads so that rotary motions imparted to the threaded shaft in acounterclockwise direction will cause downward movement of the element30. A spring pressed plunger 46, carried by the element 30, ispositioned to engage a bevelled surface 47 of the element 35 to normallyurge the auxiliary member into intimate engagement with the threadedshaft. A handle 48 mounted on the outer end of the plunger 46, permitsthe operator to release the auxiliary member to disconnect the element30 from the threaded shaft by moving the plunger out- Wardly.

The mechanism for imparting like intermittent motions to the threadedshaft, includes an air cylinder 50 supported by the member 18 and havinga piston actuable plunger 51, operated in timed relation with the turretso that the driving mechanism for the threaded shaft is operated duringthe interval of rest of the turret subsequent to the raising of the bulbat the receiving position. The plunger 51 is positioned to engage an arm52 of a gear segment or driving element 53 urged clockwise by a spring54 and, through the force of this spring, returned to its startingposition after each operation of the plunger 51. The gear segment 53 isinterposed between the member 17 and a bearing member 55 extendinglaterally from the member 18 where it is mounted for rocking movement ona shaft 56. A gear segment or driven member 58 is disposed concentricwith the shaft 41 and connected thereto by a uni-directional clutch 59,positioned to impart counterclockwise rotary motions to the shaft. Anarm 60 carried by the driven member 58 is positioned to engage anadjustable stop 61, carried by the member 17 to limit the rotary motionimparted to the shaft.

The member 18 houses a uni-directional clutch similar in structure tothe clutch 59 but in reverse position to hold the shaft 40 againstreverse movement.

Considering now the operation of the apparatus, let it be assumed thatthe holders 12 are supplied with articles or bulbs 14 and that theturret is moved intermittently to advance the bulbs to the receivingposition in alignment with the container 20 where the bulbs will beraised to extend around the outlet 21 of the container prior to thedispensing of the measured amount of material apparatus.

from the container into the bulb. During this interval of rest of theturret, the air cylinder 50 is operated causing its plunger 51 to movethe arm 52 a distance limited by the stop 61 causing the gear segment ordrive member 53 to. rock the gear segment or driven member 58 andthrough the clutch 59 rotate the shaft 40 a given distance.

The threaded connection between the shaft 40 and the element 30 willmove the element 30 downwardly a givendistance moving the plunger 26 inthe container 20 to force a measured quantity of the material throughthe outlet 21 and .into the raised article or bulb 14. The plunger 51will return immediately through the, force of the spring 54 moving thedrive member 53 and the driven member 58 into their original positionswhile the clutch 65 holds the threaded .shaft stationary. This operationcontinues so that during the presentation of the successive articles tothe receiving position, like quantities of radium or material are forcedthrough the outlet 21 and into the articles until the container is emptyof the material, at which time, a projection 67 carried by the bracket31 engages a microswitch 68 or other suitable control means to stopoperation of the At .this time, the element 30 may be readilydisconnected from the shaft 40 by the operator pulling the plunger 46outwardly, Fig. 4, to free the member 1 '35 allowing the threadedgrooves 34 and 37 to be moved freeof the threadedshaft and returned toits uppermost position. The container 20, with its plunger, may beunlatched and removed from the holder or member 18 to'be filled with thematerial and returned to the apparatus for further dispensingoperations.

A material dispensing apparatus comprising a turret having holders toremovably support articles driven intermittently to successivelyposition the articles at a receiving position, an element mounted at afixed position adjacent the receiving position, a hypodermic syringehaving a cylindrical receptacle open at the top end for material and aplunger and having a hollow needle at the lower end, means to mount thehypodermic syringe on the element above and in alignment with thereceiving position, and means to move the plunger in the receptacle likedistances intermittently to force like quantities of the materialtherefrom through the hollow needle and into the successive articles,and means carried by the element,

and actuable when the receptacle of the hypodermic syringe is empty ofthe material to stop driving of the turret.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS518,625 Pecht Apr. 24, 1894 1,502,936 Borroughs July 29, 1924 1,663,338Gagne Mar. 20, 1928 1,851,794 Wilson Mar. 29, 1932

